Following news that security and intelligence firm STRATFOR is downplaying the recent hack of its systems, Identity Finder today shared a detailed analysis of the data released so far by the attackers.
According to Identity Finder, the hackers have released personal information for Stratfor subscribers whose first names begin with A through M, with N through Z expected to be released soon. In addition to the presently published data compromised during the attack, the attackers claim that 200GB of company email containing 2.7 million emails was captured as well.
While the attackers did manage to siphon out a good amount of data, analysis reveals that many of the records are duplicates, or contain expired credit card numbers. Based upon Identity Finder’s analysis, the files posted to date by attackers contain the following data:
· 50,277 Individual Credit Card Numbers, of which 40,626 are expired, leaving just 9,651 that are not expired
· 86,594 Email addresses, but only 47,680 are unique
· 27,537 Phone Numbers, of which 25,680 are unique
· 44,188 Encrypted Passwords, of which Identity Finder says roughly 50% could be easily cracked
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o 73.7% of decrypted passwords were weak
o 21.7% of decrypted passwords were medium strength
o 4.6% of decrypted passwords were strong
o Average decrypted password length: 7.1 Characters
o 10% of decrypted passwords were less than 5 characters long
o Only 4.8% of decrypted passwords were 10+ characters long
o Presumably the remaining non-decrypted passwords were stronger than the decrypted subset
Identity Finder, which helps companies identify and protect sensitive information, says concern about password reuse is well-founded. Most people today pick a password and reuse it on multiple sites.
“The number of posted passwords and the threat of password re-use is significant,” added Aaron Titus, Identity Finder’s Privacy Officer. “Passwords are a digital identity and password reuse is a serious problem that could lead toward identity fraud.”
Related Reading: Combating Password Cracking Tools in the Enterprise
Related Reading: How Passwords Are Cracked and How You Can Keep Them Safer